Obaseki seeking to diminish Oshiomhole’s achievements
– Hon Samson Osagie
The recent statement by the Edo State Government through one Crusoe Osagie, who doubles as the Media Adviser to Governor Obaseki on the Central Hospital Project, Benin City has elicited varied reactions as the statement contained a litany of falsehood.
Ordinarily, it would not have mattered so much for many observers of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led government in Edo State between 2008 and 2016, an administration in which the incumbent Governor was a integral part , been a member of the State Executive Council, which approved the award of the Contract for the supply, installation,Training and Maintenance of Hospital Equipments for the New 200 Bed, Accident and Emergency Complex of the Central Hospital, Benin City at its 267th meeting held on the 12th of January, 2016 following the recommendations of the State Tenders Board.
It is indeed a thing of regret that the state government could attempt to turn truth on its head in a matter that the Edo State House of Assembly has investigated and came out with extensive findings and far reaching recommendations.
It is important to note that the attempt to castigate the Oshiomhole administration and many of its well thought out policies and programmes by the Obaseki administration has been well orchestrated to the chagrin of many who voted for the Governor on account of the sterling performance of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as Governor of Edo State.
The Accident and Emergency Complex of the Central Hospital Benin City from available records was Constructed by A&K construction company after the contract was revoked from the initial contractor on account of the unsatisfactory work that was been done by the company. Interestingly, A&K Construction Company which completed the job has remained a contractor which the current government is still using. If there are defects in the construction work, the company still has a duty to correct them rather than attempt to create the impression that it was fraudulently carried out.
It is also on record, that from the investigation carried out by the Edo State House of Assembly and other available documents from the office of the Edo State Auditor General ,the contractor which was given the responsibility to supply the equipments had supplied equipments in excess of the seventy five percent advance payment made to it by the Edo State Government as at 2016.
To demonstrate the bad faith in which the statement was released on July 4, 2019 by the State
Government, its immediate past Commissioner of Health Dr. David Osifo had reported to the Edo State House of Assembly committee that investigated the reason why the hospital was not put to use that “the issue of how to manage the Central Hospital had not been resolved by the Edo State Government that was contemplating a Public Private Partnership(PPP) arrangement to run the centre”. This was as at December 2018. Why then is the state Government labouring to portray the project as a product of fraud?
Perhaps it is sufficient to restate the fact that the Central Hospital Project; Benin City was one of the very people oriented projects executed by the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led administration as a mark of his deep seated commitment to provide affordable healthcare services to the people of the state and it behaves on every responsible government to pursue this social service to the people without playing politics with it.
Ironically, contrary to the intention of the Oshiomhole administration, this government has engaged a private consulting firm – Ciuci Consulting as the official operator of the New Central Hospital now called Edo Specialist Hospital. How this will serve the health needs of the people of the state in terms of cost of health service services, time will tell. In fact the firm has acknowledged that the company that supplied the equipments “ played a pivotal role in the supply of cutting edge equipments in line with the vision of the Hospital “ This is coming from an appointee of the same government that is trying to portray the execution of the project as shoddy and substandard.
It will not be out of place to remind the Edo State Government that those who lives in glass houses ought not to throne stones. Edo people understands perfectly the shenanigans of the present handlers of the commanding heights of the state economy and that in the fullness of time, the hen will come home to roost.
The Adams Oshiomhole administration in Edo state cannot be wished away by the fabrications of falsehood of unimaginable proportion by a government he stake his goodwill and integrity to enthrone. The beauty about democracy is that it holds elected representatives to account for their stewardship.
While it is convenient for this State Government to malign the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on the altar of politics, the people remains the ultimate judge in the final analysis.